A franchisee has abruptly closed four Sylvan Learning Centers in western Pennsylvania, leaving the parent company scrambling to help affected students.

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The closed locations are in Monroeville, Robinson Township and Greensburg.

A Butler location was also closed, but was reopened by the corporation to accommodate some students.

“We're fielding phone calls from all three centers -- Greensburg, Monroeville and Robinson” said Melissa Stutsman, of Sylvan’s Butler location.

Sylvan officials said parents need to seek refunds from the franchisee.

“No one has even contacted us. I don't know what our options are,” said parent Justine McWilliams.

McWilliams told Action News’ Jim Parsons she paid $6,000 for her son to get reading help at Sylvan’s Monroeville office.

“We had no idea it was even closed. So the least they could have done was to give us a phone call to say, ‘We're closing. What would you like done with the rest of your hours and/or money?’” she said.

Stutsman said there are satellite locations that could help McWilliams and her son.

“I think they live a little south of Monroeville. The Highland Park or Monessen would be a viable option for them, too,” she said.

But McWilliams said those locations aren’t nearly as close to her White Oak home as the Monroeville facility.

She told Parsons she holds Sylvan “partly responsible” and thinks she should be refunded her money.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://bit.ly/Wfe8q40 ) reported Friday that the same owner, Randy Rohde, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, also closed six Sylvan centers in the Cleveland area on Thursday and hasn't responded to calls and e-mails for comment.

“We don't have visibility into his operation, frankly. It's a separate business. He elected, clearly, to shut down his entire operation, and that leaves us in a position to figure out what we can do to help as many students as possible,” said Sylvan spokesman Nick Kouwenhoven.